Francisco Franco

Birth name:

Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde

Date of Birth:

20 November 1892 Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain

Height:

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Biography:

Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teoula Franco y Bahamonde was born on December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, Spain. He entered the Spanish Military Academy in 1907 and upon graduation three years later was commissioned as a lieutenant. His career rose when he was detailed to the colony of Spanish Morocco to fight against the Berber tribes. In 1916, he won the Battle of El Biutz which stopped Berber attacks against Spanish outposts. In 1923, Franco was appointed commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion and in 1926 at... more

Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teoula Franco y Bahamonde was born on December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, Spain. He entered the Spanish Military Academy in 1907 and upon graduation three years later was commissioned as a lieutenant. His career rose when he was detailed to the colony of Spanish Morocco to fight against the Berber tribes. In 1916, he won the Battle of El Biutz which stopped Berber attacks against Spanish outposts. In 1923, Franco was appointed commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion and in 1926 at the age of 33 was named the army's youngest brigadier general. Franco returned to Spain in 1927 to lead the National Military Academy. He was assigned to quell a miners' strike in the Masturias in 1934 where he revealed himself to be a ruthless authoritarian by ordering the execution of over 2,000 laborers who were suspected of being Marxists. Franco proved to be one of Spain's staunchest anti-Communists and was invited to take a leading role in a right wing coup being planned by his fellow officers to overthrow the government of the Republic of Spain, which had large numbers of Socialist and Democratic members in its ruling circles. Franco accepted and shortly after the army revolt broke out on July 17, 1936 he was named commander of the nationalist forces with the title of "Generalísimo". Although he hoped to seize control of the government quickly, the struggle evolved into a full-scale civil war which lasted nearly three years. With heavy support and assistance from Hitler and Mussolini, who sent combat troops, tanks and other equipment, Franco emerged as the victor, capturing the capital of Madrid on March 28, 1939 which ended the Spanish Civil War. Named el caudillo (the leader), dictator for life, el Generalísimo Franco proved to be an astute political leader as well as a masterful military commander. Although he owed a great debt to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy for their aid during the civil war, he managed to keep Spain neutral during World War II despite pressure from his associates in the government to enter the war on the side of the Axis powers. Franco decided to let Spain recover from the terrible civil war which wrecked Spain's economy and military. After the Axis powers were defeated in 1945, Spain was isolated for some time before Franco tried allying himself with the Allied powers by bringing hope in the Cold War against the Communist Soviet Union. Spain was admitted into the United Nations in 1955 and was soon allied with the United States and other western powers. Franco served as leader of Spain until his death on November 20, 1975 at the age of 82.